The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-09-03
A HoMINY HILL ADVENTURE

Major Buckhorn Slater. who, sev- eral weeks ago, accepted an invitation to become one ot the chosen friends carefully selected to accompany At torncy General Garland to Hominy Hin, thus writes to friend
 "MY DEAR PLuMMER 1 do wish you could take peep at Us here. IL would convince you that learning can come down to pleasant chatter, and that dignity can snatch on Its white shirt and wallow around In blouse Last night the dogs trecd coon near i the house. We went out to the place and found that with the old meat axe which does service at lIominy Hill it would take us at least three days to cut down the tree. 'Gentlcmcn,' said Captain Bill Davis, in his grandilo- qucnt way, | am afraid that our short sighted omission to provide ourselves with an edge tool of requi- site keenness will result iii oui defeat with regard to the capture of the quadruped whose habits oi life render him, in his propensity for proving upon the oviperous. property of man.
 i "'Davis.' said Garland, climb up 1 m tr.,o Y,I cholo btx,
 "'Well, now, concerning proposi- tion involving so much inconvenience, not to say danger Captain Davis re- piled, T would say, with all due re- speet to your wishes in the matter, that l much prefer to see Judge Wiggs ascend the monarch of the 1 forest
 "'Wiggs,' said Garland, turning to the judge, if you ever expect to dis tinguish yourself, now is the time
 "Wiggs pulled cir dogwood twig and began to chew 1t. Though m am- bilious man, confessedly ready to brave all dangers in order to sit strad l dle of useful achievement, he hesi- tated. Garland,' said he, I don't be- lieve we want that coon
 "Yes, we do,' Garland replied. T want to take him with me to Wnsh- ington, have him nominated for some office and zee If the Republican sena- tors will not vote against his confrrn- ation. VIII any of you assist me ir this great political experimeDtl"
 "We told him that he ought to know that coon stood no chance among Republicans, and had pro- ceeded to enier with warmth in our argument, when Garland said;
 "1 will go after him. A moment later he began to scramble up the tree. We stood in silence. For time there was no sound, save the rattling of the bark that fell from above. The moon, which had gone behind cloud, came out, and we strained our eyes looking upward, but could see nothing. The dogs sat down and whined uneasily. Then there came aB awful yell, fol- lowed by startling cries; and then there seemed to be heavy body com ing down through the branches. We got out of the way, and a moment later the attorney general of the United States struck the ground. He did not finger moment, but uttering terrified exclamation, made a break for the house. Then something else struck the ground, and, with one com mon impulse of fright, we followed the attorney general. We did not speak, but we all knew why the great man had not stopped when he came down. He had tried to shake pan ther out of the tree. It took us some time, after we had barred the doors, to discover that no one was hurt, though think that some time will elapse be- fore we can listen with tranquility to the barking of dog. When we had spread our beds upon the floor and lain down, Captain Davis said: At torney General Garland, I have just been thinking how we might have captured that swful and ferocious ani-